The loss of Godolphin's homebred American classic winner, champion, and prominent sire Bernardini cuts deep, particularly among the crew at Darley Stallions at Jonabell Farm where he stood until his death July 30 due to the ravages of laminitis.
An 18-year-old son of A.P. Indy out of the grade 1 winner Cara Rafaela, Bernardini was a horse who had every opportunity to achieve greatness. He had the pedigree, the physique, and was surrounded by talented horsemen in his early days of training through to his time at the racetrack. What makes Bernardini rare, however, is that he fully realized his potential.
"Early on the word was always that he was a horse we could really get excited about," recalled Michael Banahan, director of farm operations at Godolphin's Darley Stallions at Jonabell Farm. "A lot of those can fall by the wayside, but fortunately he kept going. He got beat in his maiden race but from that moment forward he never put a foot wrong."
Bernardini would go on to become a multiple grade 1 winner and Godolphin's first American classic winner, capturing the Preakness Stakes (G1) on his way to earning champion 3-year-old male honors for 2006. He was trained by Tom Albertrani.
"He was one of those types that if he was a human, he would have been quarterback on the football team in high school with the GQ looks and incredible athletic ability. He would have been valedictorian, too, and then roll on to win a Nobel Peace Prize."
Bernardini would retire as the first Godolphin homebred stallion to stand at Jonabell Farm, which Sheikh Mohammed purchased in 2001. No pressure, right?
The strapping dark bay would more than prove himself at stud as the sire of 80 black-type winners (48 at the graded/group level) and total progeny earnings that are approaching $100 million.
During the past couple of years, Bernardini has made remarkable—actually historic—strides as a broodmare sire. He is the youngest active North American broodmare sire to achieve at least 50 black-type winners (he now has a total of 53), which includes 31 graded/group winners. The elite runners with Bernardini as a broodmare sire include dual surface grade 1 winner Catholic Boy and Maxfield , who won the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) at 2 and is heading into this weekend as a top contender in the Aug. 7 Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
Aside from his talent as a stallion, Bernardini also has been a valuable teacher at Darley Stallions.
One of the assistant broodmare managers at Darley recently shared a story with Banahan about showing Bernardini during a summer stallion show following the stallion's first breeding season. The employee had just started working in the stallion barn and was nervous about showing the farm's new star at stud.
"Really, I didn't show him, he showed me," the employee recalled about how easy Bernardini was to be around.
"The younger people that didn't have the experience in the breeding shed or stallion barn, he taught them how to bring a horse into the breeding shed and how to cover a mare. He gave them a lot of confidence with the other horses. He was a superstar horse and a terrific teacher," said Banahan.
"Everyone had great affection for him—his groom Philip Hampton, our night watch people, and we have heard from lots of people we have not heard from for a long time because of their memories and admiration of him are so special," Banahan continued. "He touched everyone here and will always have that special spot."
